Moving magnet cartridge output too high for Cool Edit Pro 2.0

H

Hennie de Jager

New member
I recently changed the cartridge of my turntable from an Ortofon MC-1 Turbo high output moving coil (3.3 mV) to an Ortofon 2M Blue moving magnet (5.5 mV). Although this plays fine through my Marantz PM7200 amplifier, the signal is just too strong for the software program Cool Edit Pro 2.0 that I am using to record LP's to my PC via its on-board sound card (Intel Core 2 Duo Dragontail motherboard). The waveform gets clipped often, even at minimum volume settings in Windows. Same setup with the previous cartridge gave no volume problems at all.

If available, I can get an external sound card with a volume control (software or hardware), or maybe I can insert a volume control unit in the line in to the sound card.

I would appreciate any assistance - there has to be a solution.

Hennie de Jager
 
A clipping problem like that results from the hardware involved and has already happened before it even gets to your software. Probably the receiver has fixed gain at the phono preamp and enough headroom to handle a hot cartridge, but your sound card doesn't have the headroom and so it clips the signal and digitizes it, clipping and all.

There are USB phono preamp interfaces. The ART USB Phono Plus v2 sells for something like $80. But I bet the preamp in your receiver is better, so spending your money just on good A/D conversion with USB connection would be a better idea. There should be a whole world of interfaces with consumer line level input (on RCAs) and volume control.

One advantage is that you could capture the audio at higher quality for restoration and produce 44.1/16 files for listening. Your sound card probably can't record 24 bit audio.
 
What Bouldersoundguy said. The clipping is happening in your internal sound card long before the data gets to CEP (which simply records the data stream the sound card hands it).

I like bsg's suggestion of a standard USB interface connected to your Marantz. This gives you the advantage of the RIAA EQ in the phono pre-amp there as well.

If budget is an issue, I know Behringer do some super cheap USB interfaces, one with a phono input (with RIAA EQ again) and one with simple line level phonos that you could connect to your Marantz. I've never tried either personally so can't actually say if they're any good--but they're certainly cheap.
 
Hi Bouldersoundguy

My Hi-Fi guy agrees that a Samson Mini Mixer S-mix would solve the problem, so he is forwarding me one - there are restrictions importing it directly (and cheaply) from the USA.

Thanks to you and Bobbsy for directing my search.

Greetings from Cape Town

Hennie
 
I think that's an expensive solution to your problem. If you are determined to limit your audio quality to what your stock sound card can offer then there are much cheaper and simpler ways to attenuate the signal. It can be done with 50 rand or less in parts and ten minutes of soldering.
 
bouldersoundguy said:
I think that's an expensive solution to your problem. If you are determined to limit your audio quality to what your stock sound card can offer then there are much cheaper and simpler ways to attenuate the signal. It can be done with 50 rand or less in parts and ten minutes of soldering.
Click to expand...

Hi Bsg

Can you give me some more detail

Hennie
 
Hi Bsg

Thanks for the info. I am not technically minded, so I'm googling for a simple solution what I would need to have someone build me an audio attenuator. Then I can rather spend money on a better sound card. When I play a LP it sounds much better than when I play the recording of it from the PC.
 
THIS would do the job for you. Take the output of your turntable into your Marantz and the tape out from the Marantz into this unit.

(The same company also does one you can plug the turntable straight into but I think I trust the Marantz phono pre amps more than Behringer.)

Moving up market, something like THIS would be better again...but you'd also need to purchase a pair of phono to quarter inch jack cables--again this would involve running the turntable into your Marantz amp and the tape out to the interface.

(The links are from a UK dealer I used to use...but you should be able to find the same models in most countries.)
 
THIS would do the job for you. Take the output of your turntable into your Marantz and the tape out from the Marantz into this unit.

(The same company also does one you can plug the turntable straight into but I think I trust the Marantz phono pre amps more than Behringer.)

Moving up market, something like THIS would be better again...but you'd also need to purchase a pair of phono to quarter inch jack cables--again this would involve running the turntable into your Marantz amp and the tape out to the interface.

(The links are from a UK dealer I used to use...but you should be able to find the same models in most countries.)
 
Hi Bsg

I got the simplest of solutions from Steven R. Rochlin of Enjoy the Music.com - he suggested that I plug the 2xRCA into the headphone socket of the Marantz! I got the little adaptor for $1.50 and bobs your uncle. I need to turn the Marantz volume control quite far down (so the music is soft), but that is no problem - I have control over the signal to the line in port of the sound card.

Thank-you very much for your interest into my problem - it was your comment that stopped me going for the Samson S-mix @ $120

Keep well - maybe we'll meet again over Cool Edit.

Hennie
 
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